Big win for RCB to start IPL 2025!

They thrash the defending champions KKR by 7 wickets at Eden Gardens!

Chase master KKR remained unbeaten on 59 for RCB!#IPL2025 #KKRvsRCB #ViratKohli𓃵 pic.twitter.com/lD6sAa32jD

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 22, 2025

Key over from Vaibhav Arora. 

He began with Virat Kohli driving a single to mid-off, followed by Rajat Patidar pulling a four to deep backward square leg. Arora struck on the third, getting Patidar caught by Rinku Singh at deep midwicket off a lofted drive—a big wicket.

New man Liam Livingstone started with a bang, pulling a four to deep square leg on the fourth, but couldn’t get the fifth away, stuck for a dot. He finished with a single to deep forward point on the last. Arora’s breakthrough kept things in check. 

10 runs and a wicket (1, 4, W, 4, 0, 1). RCB at 167/3 after the 16th.

Expensive over from Harshit Rana. 

He started with Virat Kohli driving a single to long-on, but Rajat Patidar took over from there. Patidar lofted a classy four over extra cover on the second, followed by a neat flick for another four over short fine leg on the third.

He kept going with a leg glance for two to square fine leg on the fourth and punched another four to backward point on the fifth—though Rinku Singh let it slip through. Patidar capped it with a carved four-over backward point on the last. Rana had no answer to Patidar’s masterclass. 

19 runs from the over (1, 4, 4, 2, 4, 4). RCB at 157/2 after the 15th.

Steady over from Sunil Narine. 

He began with Virat Kohli nudging a single to midwicket, but Rajat Patidar stole the show on the second—smashing a powerful slog for a six over long-on, clean and confident.

Patidar kept the strike rotating with a leg glance for a single to deep square leg on the third and a pull for another single to deep forward square leg on the fourth.

Kohli added a single to deep midwicket on the fifth and finished with another to deep midwicket on the last. Narine couldn’t stop the big shot but kept the rest in check. 

11 runs from the over (1, 6, 1, 1, 1, 1). RCB at 138/2 after the 14th.

Decent over from Harshit Rana. 

He started strong, beating Rajat Patidar on the first two balls—a cut and a glide, both missing the edge for dots. Patidar finally got going on the third, driving for two to deep midwicket, and followed with a single to the same area on the fourth.

Virat Kohli then took over, smashing a lofted cover drive for four to deep extra cover on the fifth, and he finished with a single to short extra cover on the last. Rana kept it tight early but couldn’t stop the late runs. 

9 runs from the over (0, 0, 2, 1, 4, 1). RCB at 127/2 after the 13th.

The chase master at his best!

He lofts Rana over the cover to get to his fifty. Kohli gets to his milestone from 30 balls. 

Crucial over from Sunil Narine. 

He started with Virat Kohli slicing a single to deep cover, followed by Devdutt Padikkal nudging one to deep midwicket.

Kohli kept the strike rotating with a slog sweep for a single to deep midwicket on the third. Narine struck on the fourth, getting Padikkal—who stepped down for a lofted drive—caught by Ramandeep Singh. 

New man Rajat Patidar couldn’t get going, stuck for a dot on the fifth at short midwicket. Narine’s wicket was a game-changer. 

4 runs and a wicket (1, 1, 1, W, 0). RCB at 118/2 after the 12th.

Decent over from Varun Chakaravarthy. 

He began with Virat Kohli slicing a single to deep point, followed by Devdutt Padikkal nudging one to wide long-on.

Kohli then took charge on the third, smashing a lofted on-drive for a six over long-on, showing his intent. He kept the scoreboard ticking with a single to midwicket on the fourth, and Padikkal finished with a leg glance for a single to deep square leg on the fifth.

Varun couldn’t contain Kohli’s big shot but kept the rest in check. 

10 runs from the over (1, 1, 6, 1, 1). RCB at 114/1 after the 11th.

Steady over from Sunil Narine. 

He started with Devdutt Padikkal, nudging a single to wide long-on, while Virat Kohli couldn’t get the second ball away, stuck for a dot.

Kohli then worked a single to deep midwicket on the third, and Padikkal followed with another single to wide long-on on the fourth. Kohli kept the strike rotating with a single to deep midwicket on the fifth before Padikkal finished strong, smashing an aggressive on-drive for four to deep midwicket on the last.

Narine kept it tight but couldn’t stop the late boundary. 

7 runs from the over (1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 4). RCB at 104/1 after the 10th.

Will it turn things for KKR?

Varun Chakravarthy gets the big fish. It is the leg spinner, and it was a bit wide for Salt to get a good connection. He top edged it to short third man, where Spencer Johnson took an easy catch. 

Salt goes after 56 from 31. 

Tight over from Sunil Narine. 

He started with Phil Salt nicking a leg bye off a sweep, followed by Virat Kohli finding a fielder at backward short leg for a dot on the second. Kohli then pulled a single to deep midwicket on the third, and Salt drove one to long-off on the fourth.

Kohli kept the strike rotating with a single to deep midwicket on the fifth, and Salt finished with a single to deep cover on the last.

Narine kept it disciplined, not giving the batters any room to break free. 

5 runs from the over (1 LB, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1). RCB 91/0 after the 8th.

Against his former team, Phil Salt does it again at the Eden Gardens. 

He gets to his first fifty for RCB in just 25 balls.

Brutal from the English opener. 

What an excellent power play it has been for RCB!

Rana did well to do only five in this over. He nearly dismissed Virat, but even a diving Ramandeep could not latch onto the outside edge Virat Kohli got. 

RCB 80/0 after the powerplay. They need 95 from 84 balls. 

Orgasmic, Kohli bhai!

Pure Orgasmic! #ViratKohli #IPL2025 #RCBvsKKR pic.twitter.com/aTsxdRoj4W

— Koushik Biswas (@kbofficial25) March 22, 2025

Costly over from Spencer Johnson. 

He got smashed by Virat Kohli, who started with back-to-back sixes—two lofted straight shots soaring over long-off, pure class.

Kohli couldn’t keep it going on the third, stopped by mid-on for a dot, but pulled a single to deep square leg on the fourth.

Phil Salt joined in late, held to a dot on the fifth, then gliding a four to square third man on the last. Johnson couldn’t find his line as the runs piled up. 

17 runs from the over (6, 6, 0, 1, 0, 4). RCB at 75/0 after the 5th.

Super expensive over from Varun Chakravarthy. 

He started with Virat Kohli working a single to wide long-on off a flatter ball. Then Phil Salt took over—first with a misfield allowing two runs as Varun cramped him at square leg, followed by a lofted four over mid-off on the third.

Salt kept the heat on, tonking a six over mid-off on the fourth and carting another four over mid-on on the fifth. He finished in style, bending down to sweep a length ball for four to deep square leg. Varun couldn’t contain Salt’s onslaught. 

21 runs from the over (1, 2, 4, 6, 4, 4). RCB at 58/0 after the 4th.

Expensive over from Vaibhav Arora. 

He got hammered by Phil Salt, who started with a cracking four straight over mid-on, followed by a sublime six over long-on off a lofted drive—pure timing.

Salt kept going with a single to deep square leg on the third, while Virat Kohli joined in, flicking a four to deep midwicket on the fourth and driving a single to extra cover on the fifth.

Salt capped it off with an uppercut for four to square third man. Arora had no answers as the batters took control. 

21 runs from the over (4, 6, 1, 4, 1, 4). RCB at 37/0 after the 3rd.

Will No. 18 win the IPL 18? #ViratKohli #KKRvsRCB #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/r5U2SBXtBn

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 22, 2025

Excellent over from Spencer Johnson. 

He kept Phil Salt in check, starting with two balls that beat the bat—an aggressive off drive and a cover drive, both yielding nothing.

Salt finally connected on the third, smashing a four through deep extra cover with a cracking cover drive.

But Johnson bounced back, tying Salt down with two more dots—a drive stopped at short extra cover and a defensive push to short mid-on. Tight stuff from Johnson, giving little away. 

4 runs from the over (0, 0, 4, 0, 0). RCB at 16/0 after the 2nd.

Good start for RCB

Arora got off to a rocky start, with Phil Salt smashing a crisp four through the covers on the first ball.

A wide followed on the second, and Salt couldn’t connect on the next two, held to dots. He managed a single on the fourth to mid-on, bringing Virat Kohli on strike.

Kohli cashed in, flicking a four to deep midwicket on the fifth and gliding two more to square third man on the last. Arora couldn’t settle as the batters pounced early. 

12 runs from the over (4, 1 WD, 0, 0, 1, 4, 2).  RCB at 12/0 after the 1st.

KKR have brought in Vaibhav Arora as an Impact Player in place of Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Milestone Unlocked 🔓

4⃣0⃣0⃣ T20 matches and counting 👌

Congratulations to the prolific Virat Kohli 👏👏

Updates ▶ https://t.co/C9xIFpQDTn#TATAIPL | #KKRvRCB | @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/IPPUeWDEmL

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2025

Despite a great start from Rahane and Narine, on a belter of a pitch, RCB were able to restrict KKR to a total which they will be confident to chase. 

Angkrish says it became tougher when the faster bowlers rolled their arms. 

Krunal Pandya, with three wickets and Hazlewood, with 16 dots and 2 wickets, were the stars for RCB.

What an excellent over from Hazlewood! 

He goes for only 5 in the final over and also dismissed Harshit Rana. 

KKR reach 174/8 in the first inning. 

Crucial over from Yash Dayal. 

He started with Ramandeep Singh slicing a single to cover, followed by Angkrish Raghuvanshi pulling one to deep midwicket.

Ramandeep flicked another single on the third, but Raghuvanshi couldn’t get the fourth away, stopped by mid-off.

Dayal struck gold on the fifth, getting Raghuvanshi caught behind off a short one. New man Harshit Rana finished with a single to deep forward point. Dayal kept it tight and nabbed a big scalp. 

5 runs and a wicket (1, 1, 1, 0, W, 1). KKR at 169/7 after the 19th.

Decent over from Josh Hazlewood. 

He kicked off with Angkrish Raghuvanshi missing a short one, beaten on the pull. Raghuvanshi fought back with a single on the second, while Ramandeep Singh nicked a leg bye on the third.

Then, Raghuvanshi took charge—smashing a huge six on the fourth over long-on and grabbing a single on the fifth. Hazlewood couldn’t quite nail it down as the batters found some gaps late. 

9 runs from the over (0, 1, 1 LB, 6, 1). KKR at 164/6 after the 18th.

Tight over from Liam Livingstone. 

He started with Ramandeep Singh pulling a single to wide long-on, followed by Angkrish Raghuvanshi nudging one to deep midwicket.

Ramandeep took a single on the third to short extra cover, but Raghuvanshi couldn’t get the fourth away, stuck for a dot. He managed a single on the fifth to long-on, and Ramandeep finished with a dot, finding a fielder at forward point. Livingstone kept the runs in check. 

4 runs from the over (1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0). KKR at 155/6 after the 17th.

Impact sub comes in for RCB. 

Devdutt Paddikal comes in for Suyash Sharma. 

Key over from Suyash Sharma. 

He began with Angkrish Raghuvanshi slicing a single to deep cover, but Andre Russell couldn’t get going on the second, blocked for a dot.

Russell smashed the third ball hard for four through point, but Sharma hit back on the fourth—bowling him with a beauty that crashed into middle stump as Russell went for a big slog.

New man Ramandeep Singh faced two balls, managing a single on the last after a dot. Sharma’s trap worked perfectly. 

6 runs and a wicket (1, 0, 4, W, 0, 1). KKR at 151/6 after the 16th.

𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴'𝘂𝗻 done 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 ⚡

Suyash Sharma gets the big one 😍#RCB bowlers continue to chip away at the wickets

Updates ▶ https://t.co/C9xIFpQDTn#TATAIPL | #KKRvRCB | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/rPqOIGCnYY

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2025

Huge, huge wicket!

Suyash was brave enough to toss that up against the big man, and it was the googly Russell did not pick up. 

The wrong one gets the stumps cleaned up, and KKR lose their 6th. 

Well done to Rajat Patidar to continue with spin and give Suyash a go against Andre Russell!

It was a risky but a wicket worth taking the risk! #KKRvsRCB #IPL2025

— Koushik Biswas (@kbofficial25) March 22, 2025

A batting paradise, but Krunal Pandya shines with the ball! 🎯🔥

- Dismisses Rahane ✅
- Sends back Venkatesh ✅
- Gets Rinku Singh ✅
- Stellar figures: 4-0-29-3 🎭

Krunal Pandya – The MVP for RCB! 👏💥#KrunalPandya #RCB #GameChanger #ipl2025 #IPL #AjinkyaRahane pic.twitter.com/4MHykU0jFw

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 22, 2025

Krunal, with another short and tight delivery, gets the big wicket of Rinku Singh. 

He cleans up the stumps, and Rinku goes after 12 off 10. 

KKR 145/5

Steady over from Liam Livingstone. 

He started with Angkrish Raghuvanshi taking a single to short point, followed by Rinku Singh nudging one to wide long-on.

Raghuvanshi grabbed another single on the third, then Rinku lit up the fourth—smashing a cracking four through deep midwicket with a textbook punch.

He kept the momentum with a flicked two on the fifth and a leg glance for a single on the last. Livingstone couldn’t stop the runs flowing. 

10 runs from the over (1, 1, 1, 4, 2, 1). KKR at 141/4 after the 14th.

Clever over from Krunal Pandya. 

He started with a surprising bouncer to Venkatesh Iyer, which went for a wide, but got his man on the first legal ball, clean bowling Iyer with a sharp one.

New batter Rinku Singh nudged a single on the second, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi followed with a single on the third. Rinku grabbed another single on the fourth before Raghuvanshi worked a two on the fifth and finished with a sweep for a single on the last. Pandya kept it tight and snagged a big wicket. 

7 runs and a wicket (1 WD, W, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1). KKR at 131/4 after the 13th.

Costly over from Suyash Sharma. 

He began with Angkrish Raghuvanshi easing a single off the first ball, but Venkatesh Iyer couldn’t get going on the second, stopped by a fielder. Iyer broke free on the third, pulling a four to deep backward square leg.

He added a scratchy single on the fourth before Raghuvanshi took over—smashing an elegant four over wide long-off on the fifth and cutting another for four to deep point on the last. Sharma couldn’t keep the lid on this time. 

14 runs from the over (1, 0, 4, 1, 4, 4). KKR at 124/3 after the 12th.

Tight over from Krunal Pandya. 

He started with Ajinkya Rahane, nudging a single off the first ball, then Venkatesh Iyer grabbed one on the second with an aggressive drive. Pandya hit back hard, getting Rahane out on the third—caught at deep square leg off a pull shot.

New man Angkrish Raghuvanshi got off the mark with a single on the fourth. Iyer couldn’t break free after that, stuck with two dots as Pandya kept it tight. 

Just 3 runs and a wicket (1, 1, W, 1, 0, 0). KKR at 110/3 after the 11th.

Mixed over from Rasikh Dar. 

He kept Ajinkya Rahane quiet early, forcing a dot on the first ball and giving up just a single on the second with a pull shot. Then Sunil Narine took over—smashing a full toss for four, hammering a huge six to notch his 100th IPL maximum, but getting nothing off the next. Dar struck back on the last ball, nailing Narine with a short one, caught by the keeper. Venkatesh Iyer steps in now. 

11 runs and a wicket (0, 1, 4, 0, 6, W). KKR at 107/2 after the 10th.

Rashik Salim Dar gets the big wicket of Sunil Narine!

Narine goes after a quick 44 from 26 balls. 

He went for the big shot over off-side and only managed a thick edge back to the wicket-keeper

First match as #KKR captain ✅
First fifty of the season ✅

Ajinkya Rahane continues to make merry 👌

Updates ▶ https://t.co/C9xIFpQDTn#TATAIPL | #KKRvRCB | @KKRiders pic.twitter.com/aeJUNEF9Bs

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2025

Decent over from Rasikh Dar. 

He mixed it up against Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine, though a couple of wides didn’t help his cause. Rahane nicked a leg bye off the first ball and grabbed a single on the third, while Narine struggled early but found his groove late—edging a single on the second, then smashing a four on the fifth through square third man. The last ball went nowhere, stopped by a fielder at cover. 

9 runs total (1 LB, 1 WD, 1, 1, 1 WD, 0, 4, 0). KKR at 74/1 after the 8th.

Ajinkya Rahane was on strike the whole time. He got a sweet four on the second ball, smashing it through point like a pro. The rest was a bit of a grind—left one alone, missed a couple, and hit one straight to a fielder.

Finally snuck a single off the last ball with a lofty shot. Just 5 runs total (0, 4, 0, 0, 0, 1). 

4, 1, 4, 6, 4, 1

20 run over from Yash Dayal.

Sunil Narine hit a four and a single; Ajinkya Rahane scored a lucky four, a six over square leg, a four from a full toss, and a single to end the over.

KKR welcomes spin with a 15-run over. 

Narine hit the first ball for a six over long off, and Rahane then lofted two over the inner circle to get two boundaries. 

Krunal Pandya goes for 15 in his first over. 

KKR 40/1 after 5th over. 

Rahane welcomes Rashik Salim Dar with two huge sixes, one over deep square leg and one over deep mid-wicket. Along with that, he hit another four to make it 16 from the over. 

KKR 25/1 after 4th over.  

Excellent from Josh Hazlewood. Nothing at the arc for Sunil Narine to swing at. 

Josh kept it short and at him, and only one to edge went for a four over the keeper's head. 

KKR 9/1 after 3 and Narine 5 from 11 now. 

Excellent over from Yash Dayal. 

He kept it tight against Sunil Narine and did not allow any room for him to utilise. 

Narine could take only one single in the fifth ball, and Rahane missed the final ball to make it only one from the over. 

KKR 5/1 after the second over. 

After a great cut shot, Quinton de Kock top-edged one from Josh Hazlewood. 

But Suyash Sharma dropped a dolly. 

However, Hazlewood came back stronger with an incoming ball, which produced an inner edge. 

Jitesh Sharma took the catch to dismiss him on 4. 

KKR 4/1 after 4. 

Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Spencer Johnson.

Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal

KING OF BOLLYWOOD 🤝KING OF CRICKET!#ipl2025openingceremony pic.twitter.com/Y5qvuVmGzj

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 22, 2025

LUT PUT GAYA 💓

Rinku Singh and SRK perform for the fans at the #ipl2025openingceremony pic.twitter.com/cQ1dfKxIsJ

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 22, 2025

pic.twitter.com/x9U48n9MB8 Karan Aujla performs Husn Tera Tauba Tauba at the #ipl2025openingceremony

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 22, 2025

pic.twitter.com/woUfiGaGgF Shreya Ghoshal's stunning performance at the #ipl2025openingceremony

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 22, 2025

RCB win the toss and decide to bowl first.

The current view of Eden Gardens ahead of the #IPL2025 opener!

The sky is clear, and the fans are coming out in large numbers!

We are ready for #KKRvsRCB!

Follow @sportz_point for more updates!#KKR #RCB #ipl2025openingceremony pic.twitter.com/uSiuv98Lom

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 22, 2025

🚨GOOD NEWS

The weather at the Eden Gardens is really good now. The sun is out, and we can have a full game tonight.

Follow @sportz_point for more updates on #KKRvsRCB match!#IPL2025 #EdenGardens pic.twitter.com/0z8ZI8wIf9

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) March 22, 2025

Eden Gardens's flat surface and perfect bounce make it a batsman's paradise. But as the match goes on, the pitch tends to slow down, helping spinners.

Out of 93 IPL matches played at this venue, teams batting first have won 38 times while chasing teams have emerged victorious on 55 occasions.

While the weather forecast indicates a possibility of rain during the KKR vs RCB game, it shouldn't be enough to halt the match completely. The temperature is likely to hover in the mid-20s during the course of the match.

Over the years, the KKR-RCB rivalry has been nothing short of thrilling. In their previous encounters, KKR has won 20 out of 34 matches, while RCB has emerged victorious on 14 occasions.

At home, the defending champions have eight wins and four defeats against the team.

The two teams met twice last year, and KKR prevailed on both occasions.

The live telecast of the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Match 1 will be available on the Star Sports Network in India.

The live streaming will be available on the JioHostar App and website.

• Match: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore 
• Tournament: Indian Premier League 2025 - Match 1
• Date: 22 March 2025
• Time: 7:30 pm IST
• Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata 

England wins by 26 runs.

Fantastic performance by the away team to stay alive in the series.

They have now made the series 1-2.

Dhruv Jurel also ended up throwing away his wicket as India have now lost nine wickets.

It is all over in Rajkot as the hosts are inches away from defeat.

Shami skies one soon enough and an easy catch for Brook.

IND 140/8 in 19 overs.

it is almost game over for India.

Overton gives away wide before Shami and Jurel take a single each. Back of a length and Shami connects the pull shot pretty well. SIX!! 

Shami skies one soon enough and an easy catch for Brook. 

Overton with the penultimate over. Fuller ball.

But Hardik slices it and an easy catch for Buttler. That should be the game. 

Axar Patel tries to go for a big shot but ends up miscued it completely.

A straightforward catch for Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer strikes for England.

Wood recovers to give away just three runs from the next four balls.

Axar cracks a four off the last ball to regain momentum. 

India now need 49 runs in 17 balls.

A good spell of bowling from England but India are not giving up.

A boundary for Axar Patel followed by a straight six for Hardik Pandya.

The equation is in England's favour but still, game on.

Carse with the 16th over.

Hardik and Axar are struggling to break free. 

Only three singles off the first four balls. 

Axar strikes for a much needed four to mid wicket fence in the last ball. 

IND 108/5 in 16 overs.

Overton pitches it up and Hardik crashes it straight back for a four.

Couple of singles and a double next as India gets to 100. 

Just four singles in the over. 

England take a review for an lbw against Axar Patel.

And it's missing the wickets.

Another review lost by England.

India need 86 runs in 41 balls.

India five-down.

Slower one from Overton and Washington can only chip it for Buttler to take an easy catch. 

Adil Rashid keeps the pressure on.

Both Hardik and Washington unable to get the release shot as the required rate climbs.

Just three singles from the over. 

IND 85/4 in 12 overs.

England appeal a stumping with Washington Sundar on strike, but he is comfortably in. 

Hardik Pandya is 11 off 16 balls, Washington Sundar is 3 off 7.

England have hit the brakes on India's run-rate here as RRR touches 10.

IND 82/4 in 11 overs.

9.4 runs an over with only 6 wickets left is a tricky situation for Team India.

Jamie Overton has been handed the ball for the 11th over, and greets Hardik Pandya with a bouncer.

Adil Rashid is varying his pace very cleverly to trouble the Indian batters. 

Loops it in and it beats Washington’s inside edge and evades the keeper and runs away for four byes. 

IND 78/4 in 10 overs.

Adil Rashid from the other end.

Slides in one that spins past Tilak’s inside edge. BOWLED!!

First over of spin in the chase.

Tilak takes Livingstone on by going straight. SIX!! Few singles shore up the over. 

IND 62/3 in 7 overs.

India loose some early wickets in powerplay.

Straight from Wood and SKY looks to repeat the scoop shot.

Top edge and Salt completes a skier. 

Suryakumar gets into the act now.

Slower ball from Archer and SKY scoop-flicks it for a six. 

IND 48/2 in 5 overs.

Tilak Verma smashes a four.

IND 35/2 in 4 overs.

Full-toss from Carse and Abhishek gets it through covers for another four.

Abhishek goes for it again. Skews it high and Archer takes a brilliant catch. 

Second wicket down for Team India.

Abhishek looks to go after him. Edges it over third man for a four. 

Abhishek slices one for a single.

Back of a length and Sanju fails to clear mid on. Easy catch for Adil Rashid. 

India lose their first wicket in the third over.

Full and wide from Wood and chipped away for a four by Abhishek. 

Shorter now from Wood. Cracked over long on for another four. 

Sanju Samson clips one off the hips for a single to get going.

Archer gets his length spot on against Abhishek. Three dot balls in.  

Wood and Rashid gets a double to end the innings.

England ends the innings with 171/9. 

Very good 24 runs added by the final wicket, that could end up being crucial if this game ends up as tight as the last.

England picks up some valuable runs with their final wicket.

19 runs added between Rashid and Wood, and still 2 more runs to go.

Wood and Rashid squeeze away a few runs. 

Back of length from Shami and Rashid guides it away for a four behind third man.

Waist high no-ball from Shami and Wood just gets away from it. 

🚨 Record Alert!

Varun Chakravarthy now has equaled the record for most T20I five-wicket hauls by an Indian bowler (2).

Kuldeep Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are the other bowlers to have the same number of T20I five-fers.#INDvsENG #INDvENG #VarunChakravarthy pic.twitter.com/HWOjdfZ4up

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) January 28, 2025

What a bowling change from Surya.

Starts off with a wide. Taken at long on. Hardik makes instant impact.

Livingstone responds to the situation by slogging Bishnoi for two back-to-back three sixes.

Bishnoi goes short and Livingstone slams it away for another six. 

ENG 146/8 in 17 overs.

5-wicket haul for Varun Chakravarthy.

Jofra Archer's stumps have been dismantled. England in tatters.

What a spell. 5/24!

A misfield by Ravi Bishnoi allows Livingstone to sneak in a double.

On the pads and Livingstone scoops it straight to Tilak at deep fine. England continues to collapse. 

Livingstone now brings out the slog sweep against Bishnoi. Well timed and floats over the fence for a six. 

ENG 123/6 in 15 overs.

Wrong one from Varun and it snakes past Overton’s attempted paddle. Bowled. 

Too full from Varun and Jamie Smith latches onto it. Smoked over long on for a six.

Flatter and shorter now from Varun and Smith picks out the deep mid wicket fielder. 

Down the leg side and clipped away for a four by Livingstone. 

Liam Livingstone attacks Axar Patel, clears the ropes with ease. Comes down the track, and it's a big 6! 85m long.

ENG 101/3 in 12 overs.

Neat over from Abhishek. Just four singles from it.

ENG 91/3 in 11 overs.

The two quick wickets have put the game in India’s corner now. 

Abhishek Sharma with the new ball now. 

Duckett gets to his fifty with a single against Axar. Solid knock from the English opener. 

Duckett now jumps out of his crease and Axar drags the length back. Mishit. Easy catch at deep midwicket. 

Duckett gets to his fifty with a single against Axar. Solid knock from the English opener. 

Buttler attempts reverse sweep. Sanju appeals for a catch and convinces SKY to take a review. 

Umpires changes his decision to out.

Axar Patel gets his first over of the day. Buttler and Duckett deal in singles.

Axar with a surprise fuller one, which squeezes past everyone for a bye four. 

ENG 74/1 in 8 overs.

Four consecutive overs bowled by four different spinners.

First Sundar, then Varun, then Bishnoi and now Axar will bowl the 8th over.

Interesting tactic by Suryakumar Yadav.

Buttler now steps down the ground and launches it over long on for a six. 

England 65/1 after 7 overs.

Ravi Bishnoi with his first over. Full and reverse swept away for a four.

Buttler now steps down the ground and launches it over long on for a six. 

England manage 52 in the powerplay, largely thanks to Ben Duckett.

Brilliant over from Varun. Just three from it. 

ENG 52/1 in 6 overs.

Varun Chakaravarthy into the attack. Buttler gets a single first ball.

Duckett defends the first ball before a single to long on. 

Duckett tries to reverse sweep again, but it hits him on the pads.

India go up for a review, and lost.

Over point for another four. Duckett dances down the track now. Blasts it down the ground for a six. 

Washington Sundar introduced.

Buttler takes a single first ball. Duckett makes room and pumps it through covers for a four.

Reverse sweep now from Duckett. Over point for another four. 

Ben Duckett is looking in the mood today.

Pandya pitches it short and the left-hander pulls it away for another boundary.

Next ball, steps out, slams it through the covers.

Two 4s in a row!

England need a good partnership between Duckett and Buttler here to see out the powerplay, at least.

Time and again, England have been let down repeatedly by their batting so far in the series.

Shami angles one past Buttler’s outside edge. Not much of an appeal.

Length from Shami and Duckett manages to scoop it for a six. Audacious shot. 

ENG 21/1 in 3 overs

Hardik surprises Salt with a bouncer. Beaten. Full and wide from Hardik and Salt crunches it straight to Abhishek Sharma. 

Hardik Pandya from the other end. Duckett punches one through covers for a single.

Shami's first ball. Low bounce. Beats Phil Salt.

Wide again. This time Salt slams it past the bowler and umpire for a four.

Better length from Shami as two dot balls follow. Two singles to close the over. 

Shami with the new ball, as expected. 

Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler(c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith(w), Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.

Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Dhruv Jurel, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy.

Suryakumar Yadav confirms Mohammed Shami is in the playing XI. 

India wins the toss for the third time this series.

Suryakumar Yadav elects to bowl first. 

The 3rd T20I between India and England will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network.

The match will also be available for live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar app and website.

Suryakumar Yadav’s recent T20I performances have been tough—12, 0, 1, 4, 21.

Will the captain bounce back today? All eyes are on him! 🤞

What do you think?#T20Cricket #SuryakumarYadav #Cricket #INDVENG #tilakvarma #hardikpandya pic.twitter.com/t0esqi8eLE

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) January 28, 2025

The pitch at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot is known for being a batting-friendly surface.

So, fans can expect a high scoring encounter between India and England. 

𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐊 𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀 🥹💙

What a knock by Tilak Varma! A match-winning performance guides India to a thrilling two-wicket victory in Chennai. 🇮🇳🔥 Cricket at its best! 😍#INDvsENG #TilakVarma #INDvENG #suryakumaryadav #josbuttler #indiancricket pic.twitter.com/wOicklti7d

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) January 25, 2025

𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐊𝐎𝐋𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐀 😲🔥

India record their biggest-ever T20I win over England in terms of balls remaining! 🇮🇳🔥 A dominant performance to remember!#INDvsENG #T20I #CricketHistory #suryakumaryadav #AbhishekSharma #SanjuSamson #GautamGambhir #T20I pic.twitter.com/BMskIAKTU8

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) January 22, 2025

India are aiming to secure an early 3-0 victory over England in their ongoing five-match T20I series, having won the first two matches in Kolkata and Chennai.

India's new batting coach Shitanshu Kotak said before the third T20I that there is no concern about the fitness of fast bowler Mohammed Shami.

But the decision on his playing will be taken by captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Shami was not selected in the playing eleven for the first two T20I matches against England.

Match: India vs England 3rd T20I

Date: 28 January, 2025

Time: 7 pm IST

Venue: Niranjan Shah Stadium